Who knows appliances? Shopping for a 36" gas range that won't break the bank.

The house remodel was going well until it came to the kitchen. We need a 36" wide range now. Between the sheer size of my own family and how often we entertain, we cook a LOT of food. I'm trying to find a good deal on a 36" wide range that isn't the BMW of ovens, while also not being the Chevy Aveo. The variety of gas ranges seems to plummet once you go bigger than a 30" range. I'm not building a McMansion or flipping the house, so I need something that will actually last a good number of years without costing a fortune.

I have no idea what I'm looking for in brand, it just needs to be gas. Looking for what brands to look for, or run away from. Or websites to shop them. I'm already crawling all the big box store websites.

PCI auctions.  It's an auction site that leans hard toward commercial/food service liquidation.  My cousin scored a 36" Viking gas range for $400.

Go used.  We're talking about a gas range.  There is nearly nothing to fail unless you want all the bells and whistles.  It is a bunch of manual valves and some igniters.

If you try to get a Whirlpool or GE range that is 36", they are going to be the Chevy Aveo dressed up to a bigger size and marketed to rich people who want the brand name and the pretty features.  If you get a commercial 36" stove at auction, you have just bought a Unimog or a Humvee.  

I've looked into commercial units, unfortunately they aren't meant for in-home use. Too much heat, no insulation, and other factors.

I found two ranges that may work:

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/LRG3601U.html

$2200

or

https://www.amazon.com/NXR-SC3611-Professional-Convection-Stainless/dp/B07D89LR6G

$2000

Both have six burners and a big oven. I think Thor is supposed to be a decent brand. NXR seems to be kind of new on the scene. Both are gas. The Thor I can order through Home Depot and pick it up at the local store, which is a plus to me. If it shows up destroyed I can reject it and make them order another.

Craigslist or FB Marketplace. We bought a high end gas unit for $200. 

Yep, options get slim and expensive when you need a 36" version. The all electric range with a flat top, a dozen burner configurations and a side-by-side oven was something like $2700 well over a decade ago. 

I definitely agree with watching FB and CL.  Because most people in the market for ranges this size will want to buy new, used ones have minimal resale value compared to their 30" counterparts.  I gave the one I had away (about 25 years ago) that the previous owner of my house had installed in the garage.

We have a Wolf and have not found it to be worth the premium. We've also had trouble getting it worked on, and there's only one place in town that will work on it so when they're not capable of removing a gas regulator then you're stuck working on it yourself. (That particular job took me 15 minutes, apparently the service man doesn't know how to use a pipe wrench.)

I'm sorry I can't offer much beyond that, but hopefully that's a little helpful.

In reply to slefain :

Shop the dealers too!   We scored a new Wolf gas cook top ( Think Sub Zero  ) with a power vent that is sooooooo cool  that listed for $5500  for $1700 from a local dealer.   

Our micro wave came from another very high end dealer.   It’s a lower drawer type with power open and close. ( trust me it’s a big deal when you’re our age ) I think that we got over $1800 off on that.  

These were items we spent big money for because  we are past retirement age and won’t be moving again until they dig our graves. Plus  she really wanted a great kitchen.  

But even ordinary stuff like refrigerator we found a better deal at a dealer than the big box stores offered.   

The big box stores still had lower prices on disposal, and faucets, but the farmers sink was cheaper on line.  

As far as recommendations?  You won’t find good unbiased recommendations here.  Use Consumer Reports.  

Models change too often and a good brand last year may be much worse or better quality this year/ model. 

•  dculberson said:

We have a Wolf and have not found it to be worth the premium. We've also had trouble getting it worked on, and there's only one place in town that will work on it so when they're not capable of removing a gas regulator then you're stuck working on it yourself. (That particular job took me 15 minutes, apparently the service man doesn't know how to use a pipe wrench.)

I'm sorry I can't offer much beyond that, but hopefully that's a little helpful.

 

My experience is just the opposite. I made a mistake on the installation and their rep was Johnny on the spot, only a couple hours after we called. 

He came and fixed my mistake ( quietly showed me my error)  then proceeded to double check everything on both the cooktop and vent.  

Quick, clean, and polite!  

In reply to frenchyd :

Don't get me wrong, the stove is "fine," but a Wolf 36" range is in the $7000+ range new. We use our stove every day making ~3 meals a day and it's done nothing exactly wrong except be a little slow to light. But there's just nothing it offers over other gas range options that justify the price. Fortunately we didn't pay $7000 for the range, as I'd be pretty pissed if I did.

Your service man sounds good. Ours wasn't. And we have zero other options, which was my point - whoever works on Wolf ranges in your area, no matter how good or bad they are, you're stuck with them as there won't be anyone else that does.

Try the Sears Outlet.  They have returns, out-of-box, scratch and dent stuff, etc. that can't be sold as new but still is under warranty.  Many times the scratch/dent is on the side or back where it won't be seen anyway.  If you don't find anything keep checking.  Their selection varies from week to week.  

A few years ago our old microwave/range hood combo went out.  We lucked out.  Sears Outlet had one the same model as our other appliances.  It was marked down from $700 to $300 because of no box.  Still had instructions and all parts.  

www.searsoutlet.com

One very important thing to keep in mind when you go to 36" gas stoves, is that the minimum clearances to combustable surfaces increase greatly.  Read the book and make sure the cabinets are not within the vertical distances in the book that comes with the stove.  Last two kitchen remodels I was a part of failed gas inspections because the cabinet guys don't read the books.  On the last 36" stove, the vertical distances were 30" to a non combustible and 42" to a combustible.  That means you pretty much can only use an all metal vent hood above the stove with no cabinets.

I have nothing to ad but a comment about AJ Madison.  Before Christmas, I replaced our Induction Cooktop with only 2 working burners out of 4 with a new, low, end Fridgidair brand via AJ Madison.  It was the cheapest unit they offered but it was $200 cheaper than anyone else on the same unit.  This put in the price range of a more typical electric (non-induction) cooktop or about $500. 

The purchase was as simple as online shopping should be.  I hit "pay" and a couple of days later a rather large box was on my front porch when I got home.  Now, sure, a 30" cooktop is not a mega box like a refrigerator or full stove.  It was still a good size box but something pretty normal for a UPS/Fed Ex truck.  

No idea if you're still able to change your kitchen cabinet layout plans, but it's been more and more common for folks to use a pair of 30" freestanding ranges side-by-side in a 60" space. Gives you almost the same utility as a $15,000 range but for a total cost of $1000-4000 instead. You can also get a bit more diversity in your oven configuration that way (one electric, one gas-fired).

the_machina said:

No idea if you're still able to change your kitchen cabinet layout plans, but it's been more and more common for folks to use a pair of 30" freestanding ranges side-by-side in a 60" space. Gives you almost the same utility as a $15,000 range but for a total cost of $1000-4000 instead. You can also get a bit more diversity in your oven configuration that way (one electric, one gas-fired).

That was my original GRM-type plan. We'd add an oven, and keep our old one in place. But that was before it turned into an entire kitchen remodel involving a general contractor. My job at this point is to follow the design plan, which calls for a 36" range.

I like the idea of going to the dealers, I'll see what is in Atlanta. I've already been cruising Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, we'll see what turns up.

I texted my appliance repair guy to see what he won't repair, and to ask who he recommends to buy from. Turns out he has a warehouse of stuff and may have something the fits our needs. I like the sound of that.